Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations CNB Culling

Lake 75 acres, 11 feeders.
We have a very good population of Coppernose. Should we be culling some of these fish? Personally I will have a couple of fish fries each year but I don't actively remove the CNB's just for the sake of thinning.
Thank you.

What do the CNBG look like? (body shape wise)

Here is a photo of a Coppernose Bluegill from Auburn.

They look like a football, with a bad attitude.

http://www.ag.auburn.edu/fish/image_gallery/details.php?image_id=1325

If that's from your lake, then I'd just fish out what you want to eat. When I meant what do they look like, I meant what do the CNBG in your lake look like body wise? Slightly less tall than long, thick bodies, or longer than tall and thinner bodies?

The different class sized CNBG in the lake, are they all of teh same body conformation, or are there year classes that are doing better than others?

From George:




1 year old fish from ewest:

That is a pic from one of the AU ponds from their fisheries web site.

Sorry I misunderstood your question. Our CNB look very much like the first photo in your thread. The sizes are very much alike from feeder to feeder. Hand size or better healthy and fat. My feeder is the only one of eleven that feeds year round. When cold weather arrives I slow it to a snails pace.

Not a problem! I'd just "cull" for the table then. Have you had a formal electroshock survey done on the BOW?

quote=esshup]
From George:

[/quote]
KINGFISH, my thinking on culling CNBG is to take ALL female and keep the males that come closest to having pure Florida CNBG genetics,

Fish below are some that I stocked 2009 but lost most big fish last year drought and low water!







http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Main=12219&Number=185725#Post185725

esshup, Yes we have electroshock survey once each year and our expected weights on CNBG are at or above what they should be.

George, great idea for keeping the brood stock clean, however our logistics would be difficult at best with a 75 acre lake 11 feeders and a half dozen Bass fishermen that could care less about fishing for Bream. Our first stocking of CNBG came 10 years ago and we restocked 30K 2 years ago. Our fishermen look at CNBG as a food source for Bass. Personally I love to catch 2 lb + Bream on a light fly rod, not to mention their filets rolled in cornmeal and fried in peanut oil is as good as it gets! Cheers!

King, do you impose a slot limit for LMB on your Bass fishermen?
If so, you are probably keeping culls smaller then your monster CNBG?
"The state and world angling record for this species (4 lb, 12 oz) was caught at Ketona Lake, Jefferson County, in 1950.”http://www.outdooralabama.com/fishing/freshwater/fish/bream/bluegill/
I can only dream or a 75 acre lake with 11 feeders full of obese CNBG – betcha got a record breaker there!!!

I sure wouldn’t worry about “keeping the brood stock clean”, having “restocked 30K 2 years ago”.
Talk about fun.
George

George,our slot for F-1's is 15" and this stock is now 9 years old so we are adding 1400 lb of Black Bass this winter to shake things up. My biggest Coppernose to date is almost 3 lb. The reason I can't give you an accurate weight is because I weighted the fish on a spring scale and can't give you the ounces. Try that on a #3 fly rod! This summer I found a three pound bass dead from chocking on a one pound bream. PS. Ketona Lake is 10 miles from my house and is a cesspool.

From what you're saying about the size of the CNBG in the BOW, I'd follow George's recommendations in regards to culling. You might want to get in touch with Bob Lusk and see what they are doing at Richmond Mills.

He'll be at the Pond Boss Conference in 11 days. There's still room if you can make it.